Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-07-02
MOTHER.
Ono Household In Which Hostilities Are
Likely to be Continued.

HOW 8 my mOClere' ne SLOWLY an.
swered. 'She was purity well half an
hour ago, when VIZ had a little argu-
ment in the backyard and she pitched
the clothes-bar at me-"
II understand" said tho other boy as
he YEARLY sat down on the curbstone
and reached out for q straw to break in
pieces in his fingers, shat she's second
hand"
Exactly. She was q widow when
pap married her, and I guess she look
ed upon it as her last chance. That's
what we were arguing about this morn
ing, and that's why she got mad"
"Do you call her motherp"
Il did up to yesterday. She agreed
to give me- fifty cents q week to call her
mother around the house when pop was
home, and two shillings more every
time I called her ma before the neigh
bors. She paid up all right the first
week, but defaulted on the second, and
I'm now addressing her as stranger. I
do business on a cash basis, l do, and
when tho cash stops the ma business
comes to a dead standstill."
"That's perfectly right. DO they
spoon muchp"
"Lots. Guess pop thought it was his
last chance. too, the way he acts. Say,
Jim, it's awfully tircsomo for a boy to
be around where so much spooning is
going on. 1t is kinder turnin' my
stomach agg'in vittles, and 1 feel weary
all over"
'Must have struck you purity sud-
denp"
eyes, it did. Pop and ME and his
sister had been keeping house alone for
seven years, when one day he drove up
with this secondhand person in a hack
and told me to kiss my new ma"
"And did your"
"Naw! Made q climb for the back
fence, and didn't 60 home till the police
threatened to send me to the reform
school,"
"How did your aunt take itp"
1T was rich. Them women embraced
and kissed at o'clock p. M, standard
time. At 3 my aunt was out of the
house, bags, bundles, and old umbrellas,
and the stranger had full possession. I
wasn't there to see it, but the neighbors
laughed until their sides ached. fguess
my aunt Is running yet, for we haven't
heard from her."
do you 'spose this-this second
hand edition will 60 up to see your
mothers gravep"
"Will she? Well, don't you bet any
money on it! About one of tho first
questions she asked me was what the
gravestone cost, and how often pop
went up, and when I told her she kick
ed the cat across the kitchen and broke
a lamp chimney with her elbow. Next
day l heard her saying to pop that she'd
just like to see a husband of hers fool
ing away his time in a graveyard. If
she and pop eyer'd 60 up there, and
pop SO far forgets tho situation as to
heave y sigh. she'll mop him over a hull
acre of graves"
'Docs she go through your pockets
after you arc aslecp:"
'tSho sot out to. but l filled 'em with
red pepper and she didn't get her eyes
opened till next day noon. Since then
We treat each other with coldness."
The two sat looking at the cobble-
stones for q long time, and then Jim
suddenly rose up and said:
Il know what I'm going to do"
"What?"
"Tm going to be gooder to my own
mother than ever before. I've got two
cents, and I'm going to take her home
two palm-leaf fans and ask her to keep
on living for my Detroit Free
Press.